Mercy for Hypocrites - Sermon for the 4th Sunday after Trinity

 Fourth Sunday after Trinity
July 10^th, Year of Our + Lord 2022
Our Savior’s and Our Redeemer Lutheran Churches
Hill City and Custer, South Dakota
Genesis 50:15-21, Romans 12:14-21, Luke 6:36-42
Mercy for Hypocrites 

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

    Throughout this created universe God has made for us, we see pairs, things and phenomenon that exist in tandem with their opposite.  Our Three in One Lord in His wisdom created so many things in pairs. Amongst living creatures, we have Male - Female. In electro-magnetism, Positive - Negative. In space, we have Up and Down, and Light and Dark.  Once sin entered the world, these pairs took a difficult turn. Life and Death. Good and Evil. Correct and Incorrect. True or False. Win or Lose.

    The second person of the three in one God, Jesus, the Son, entered our polarized world, to save us from all the negative opposites.  And we probably shouldn’t be surprised that the Triune God’s intervention in our opposite-filled world would not work quite like we expect.  The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not opposites, they are not even triangulated.  No, they are one.  But also three.  So as this true three in one God enters our polarized world, things will work differently than how our bipolar minds expect.

    In today's readings, the Lord presents us with a surprising pair of opposites. Jesus denounces hypocrisy as a sin to be avoided.  And as a faithful teacher, he also gives us its opposite, a virtue to practice.

    Before we unpack what Jesus teaches us, let’s consider the question:  What is the opposite of hypocrisy?  A hypocrite misrepresents himself, says one thing, but actually believes and does another.  Jesus borrows the word from Greek theater, where the word hypocrite referred to the actors, who hid their true identity behind masks.  So, if hypocrisy is all about dishonesty and deception, about saying and presenting one reality, but believing and doing another, then what is its opposite?  It would be honesty and sincerity, forthrightness and transparency, right? 

    But these are not what Jesus contrasts with hypocrisy.  This is not to say that Jesus doesn’t want us to be sincere, honest and transparent.  But this pairing of opposites, hypocrisy and honesty, is of the Law.  Stop lying and instead be truthful.  Very well, we all understand that.  But we don’t do it.  To save us from ourselves, Jesus today does not contrast hypocrisy with honesty, but rather with mercy. 

   Joseph’s brothers, decades earlier, had sold him into slavery and told their father Jacob that he had been killed by wild animals.  They continue to be hypocrites after their dad dies.  They make up a story, trying to guarantee they will continue to be favored by their now powerful brother.  They assume that Joseph is like them, a hypocrite.  They assume that the recent years of kindness and care they had enjoyed under Josephs’ rule in Egypt had just been a show.  They assumed Joseph was holding back his wrath, for the sake of their father, Jacob.  Now that Dad is dead, the brothers fear that Joseph’s true colors would show through. 

    And they did.  But Joseph’s true colors are not hypocritical.  No, Joseph’s true color is mercy.  He weeps to think his brothers fear him.  He knows that what they meant for evil, God used for good, that their hypocrisy and hatred toward him led to the rescue of the whole family.  Joseph is merciful, because he has received the Lord’s mercy, over and over again, and that mercy spills over in mercy toward his brothers, despite what they had once done to him. 

    God hates hypocrisy, but He answers it with mercy.  Now, according to our way of thinking, this doesn't make any sense.  We all know about hypocrisy, because we all practice it, and suffer from it. We all put on false appearances from time to time, and we suspect others of treating us hypocritically.  Hypocrisy poisons our lives.  It’s common to hear people say they refuse to come to church because they don't want to be around all those hypocrites. We Christians of course have the perfect answer: "There’s always room for one more!"

    While that little joke is true, hypocrisy isn’t really a laughing matter. It is sin, especially for Christians.  For when we present a false front, when we are hypocrites, we misuse the Name of God, which He put on us in our Baptism. 

    Hypocrisy is of the devil, and its opposite is of God. And that opposite is mercy. As forgiven sinners, we have no right to accuse other people, no right to shame them and consider ourselves more virtuous. When we see other people involved in sin, instead of ridiculing them (and making ourselves look better by comparison), what we are called to do is show mercy. We are to love our neighbor who struggles with sin, just as we love ourselves, even though we also struggle with sin. It is true that sin must still be called sin, or people won’t recognize it, and repent.  But our goal should always be to speak gently to our sinful neighbors about God’s mercy, as Christ has spoken gently to us.  And we should pray for them, that they receive mercy, and so not suffer for eternity. Instead of rejecting and ridiculing a neighbor trapped in sin and unbelief, we should recognize, quite literally, that "There, but by the grace of God, go I."

   Mercy is God’s opposite for hypocrisy.  This is why Paul teaches us to bless those who persecute us; to bless and not curse them, and “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink, … Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

    This is also why our Lord tells us: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. This is why we pray in the Our Father: forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  If instead of showing mercy, we insist that our neighbors be perfect and earn our favor, we are denying the center of the Christian Faith, the Good News that God in Christ is merciful to all.  And, if we deny the Faith, we reject God’s merciful plan for ourselves.  Denying mercy to others is to put ourselves outside of Christ.  And outside of Christ, God will insist that we be perfect.  But if, because of the grace we have received we can in turn show mercy, our Lord’s mercy to us will abound all the more.  Mercy, not a demand for perfection, is God’s opposite for our hypocrisy.

    Jesus tells us that mercy is a divine attribute:  Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.  Theologians like to speak of God's attributes like omnipresence (He is present everywhere), His omniscience (He knows everything), His omnipotence (the fact that He is almighty, or all-powerful).  And all this is true.  God is eternal, almighty, immortal, invisible and perfect.  But none these attributes of God is good news for us. No amount of pleading for God to be mighty, good, or awesome is going to comfort us when we are caught in our hypocrisy.  Only the Gospel, the good news of God's mercy, can do that.

    God is not a hypocrite.  He is quite the opposite; He is all merciful.  He is all forgiving. In fact, He does have every right to speak bad of us, to judge us and condemn us.  But He doesn’t.  How do we know this?  Despite our ongoing sinfulness, His mercies are new every morning.  The Lord blesses us in myriad ways, every day.  But the best evidence, indeed the final proof of God's mercy, is Christ crucified.  For God loved the world in this way, that He sent his only begotten Son to die for us poor miserable sinners, for us hypocrites.  Jesus came and died on the Cross for each one of us who lacks mercy towards our neighbor.  He became our rescuing brother, even though we so often lack love towards our brothers and sisters.

    Our Lord tells us to be merciful. As Jesus says, a disciple is not above his teacher.  Since our Master was merciful to the point of death, we are not above sharing the same mercy in these new lives we have received. Christians are called to be merciful, even though from time to time it will mean suffering at the hands of evil people.  But do not fear, nothing can snatch you from the merciful hands of your Savior.

    It is the gracious nature of our Lord to show us mercy, mercy in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over.  God’s mercy is more than our feeble hands can hold.  Our cups overflow with the mercy and forgiveness of the Lord.  We have received so much undeserved grace that it should be natural for us to share that same grace with others.  It helps if we clearly understand this fact: We do not generate mercy from within ourselves, but rather we simply share from the abundance of mercy we receive from Jesus.  Like Joseph, we simply pass on the gift. 

    Every time you hear the words of Holy Absolution, every time you hear the words of the Holy Gospel, every time you eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, you are being remade in the image of the Lord, by being filled with His mercy.  When you were Baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, you were cleansed from all your sins.  Every time you return to that Source, seeking His forgiveness, you are washed clean, over and over again.  Our God is the God who continues to show us mercy over and over again.  He delights when we ask for more mercy, for ourselves, and for others.

     God is not a hypocrite.  He is good, honest, forthright. He is perfect and almighty. This means that even his Law is good and perfect…even when it crushes us in our sin.  When God through His Law reveals our hypocrisies, we can try to cover our sins with more hypocrisy.  Or we can confess them and ask for mercy.  We can try to put on a good outward appearance, or we can stop, admit our failues, be still, and hear the Gospel of God's grace and mercy.

    Dear brothers and sisters, even though we all struggle with it, we have no reason to remain in hypocrisy.  Confess your sins!  Receive the mercy of God!  His overflowing mercy and grace will fill you.  Then, spilling over with mercy, the Lord will use you to bring reconciliation, forgiveness and mercy to others.

    Thank God that our Lord Jesus Christ is not a hypocrite like us.  In fact, He is the opposite. He is mercy, in the flesh! And so, we pray with confidence: Lord, have mercy upon us! Christ, have mercy upon us! Lord, have mercy upon us!   For we know we have a God who will show us mercy.  In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.